Derry Court: Suspended sentence for man (27) who admitted domestic abuse charge

A barrister told Derry Magistrate's Court today that his client was 'clearly an idiot and a coward who has been caught out'.

The comments came in the case involving Drew McDaid-Teasdale (27) of Old City Court in Derry who admitted a charge of engaging in a course of conduct that was domestic abuse on dates between May 28 and June 6 2022.

He also admitted a charge of criminal damage to a phone on June 5.

The court heard that police received a report of an altercation between a couple caught on security cameras outside the Strand Road PSNI Station on June 5.

The couple then drove off but the defendant was arrested.

The woman initially did not co-operate with police but returned several days later and made a statement.

She described two incidents one in Glenfada Park where she said the defendant had grabbed her phone and started going through her social media accounts.

He then threw the phone out the window and called her 'a slut and a slag.'

She said that McDaid-Teasdale had grabbed her by the hair and the throat and she feared she was going to be killed.

The injured party reported another incident later that same day when the defendant grabbed her by the hair and threw a half full can if Coke at her.

She said he locked the door grabbed her by the hair again pulling her upstairs.

She also related another incident where he grabbed her by the hair and pushed her face into a pillow.

Defence counsel Eoghan Devlin said he was asking for a suspended sentence so McDaid-Teasdale could get assistance from probation.

The defendant was given a 12 month prison sentence suspended for three years, placed on probation for 18 months and ordered to pay £600 in compensation.

A Restraining Order was also imposed for a period of four years.